This chapter examines objections to genetic modification (GM) of plants and animals, particularly of organisms produced for agricultural purposes. It briefly reviews the development and use of GM ...
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This chapter examines objections to genetic modification (GM) of plants and animals, particularly of organisms produced for agricultural purposes. It briefly reviews the development and use of GM organisms, then delves critically into several concerns that are commonly voiced about the technology—that it causes harm to animals, that it violates species integrity, that it leads to a kind of impurity, and that it does not fit within a proper human relationship to nature. The chapter argues that these arguments range from mistaken to less than decisive, but it examines concerns about the human relationship to nature at length and explores the best possible way of formulating them. Drawing on science journalist Michael Pollan and others, it proposes that the opposition is properly more to the industrialization of agriculture generally than to GM specifically. The chapter closes by considering how food policy should honor concerns about GM organisms.Less

Nature on the Farm : Genetically Modified Plants and Animals

Gregory E. Kaebnick

Published in print: 2013-12-02

This chapter examines objections to genetic modification (GM) of plants and animals, particularly of organisms produced for agricultural purposes. It briefly reviews the development and use of GM organisms, then delves critically into several concerns that are commonly voiced about the technology—that it causes harm to animals, that it violates species integrity, that it leads to a kind of impurity, and that it does not fit within a proper human relationship to nature. The chapter argues that these arguments range from mistaken to less than decisive, but it examines concerns about the human relationship to nature at length and explores the best possible way of formulating them. Drawing on science journalist Michael Pollan and others, it proposes that the opposition is properly more to the industrialization of agriculture generally than to GM specifically. The chapter closes by considering how food policy should honor concerns about GM organisms.

Popularized by Michael Pollan in his best-selling In Defense of Food, this book's concept of nutritionism refers to the reductive understanding of nutrients as the key indicators of healthy food—an ...
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Popularized by Michael Pollan in his best-selling In Defense of Food, this book's concept of nutritionism refers to the reductive understanding of nutrients as the key indicators of healthy food—an approach that has dominated nutrition science, dietary advice, and food marketing. The book argues this ideology has narrowed and in some cases distorted our appreciation of food quality, such that even highly processed foods may be perceived as healthful depending on their content of “good” or “bad” nutrients. Investigating the butter versus margarine debate, the battle between low-fat, low-carb, and other weight-loss diets, and the food industry's strategic promotion of nutritionally enhanced foods, the book reveals the scientific, social, and economic factors driving our modern fascination with nutrition. The book develops an original framework and terminology for analyzing the characteristics and consequences of nutritionism since the late nineteenth century. It begins with the era of quantification, in which the idea of protective nutrients, caloric reductionism, and vitamins' curative effects took shape. It follows with the era of good and bad nutritionism, which set nutricentric dietary guidelines and defined the parameters of unhealthy nutrients; and concludes with our current era of functional nutritionism, in which the focus has shifted to targeted nutrients, superfoods, and optimal diets. The book ultimately shows how nutritionism has aligned the demands and perceived needs of consumers with the commercial interests of food manufacturers and corporations. It also offers an alternative paradigm for assessing the healthfulness of foods-the food quality paradigm—that privileges food production and processing quality, cultural—traditional knowledge, and sensual-practical experience, and promotes less reductive forms of nutrition research and dietary advice.Less

Nutritionism : The Science and Politics of Dietary Advice

Gyorgy Scrinis

Published in print: 2015-02-10

Popularized by Michael Pollan in his best-selling In Defense of Food, this book's concept of nutritionism refers to the reductive understanding of nutrients as the key indicators of healthy food—an approach that has dominated nutrition science, dietary advice, and food marketing. The book argues this ideology has narrowed and in some cases distorted our appreciation of food quality, such that even highly processed foods may be perceived as healthful depending on their content of “good” or “bad” nutrients. Investigating the butter versus margarine debate, the battle between low-fat, low-carb, and other weight-loss diets, and the food industry's strategic promotion of nutritionally enhanced foods, the book reveals the scientific, social, and economic factors driving our modern fascination with nutrition. The book develops an original framework and terminology for analyzing the characteristics and consequences of nutritionism since the late nineteenth century. It begins with the era of quantification, in which the idea of protective nutrients, caloric reductionism, and vitamins' curative effects took shape. It follows with the era of good and bad nutritionism, which set nutricentric dietary guidelines and defined the parameters of unhealthy nutrients; and concludes with our current era of functional nutritionism, in which the focus has shifted to targeted nutrients, superfoods, and optimal diets. The book ultimately shows how nutritionism has aligned the demands and perceived needs of consumers with the commercial interests of food manufacturers and corporations. It also offers an alternative paradigm for assessing the healthfulness of foods-the food quality paradigm—that privileges food production and processing quality, cultural—traditional knowledge, and sensual-practical experience, and promotes less reductive forms of nutrition research and dietary advice.

This chapter examines how the multinational agricultural biotechnology corporation Monsanto has attempted to re-brand itself from a chemical company to a food company through the elaboration of a ...
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This chapter examines how the multinational agricultural biotechnology corporation Monsanto has attempted to re-brand itself from a chemical company to a food company through the elaboration of a highly interlaced, multi-platform on-line media strategy. This image enhancement operation is a response to its many critics—from citizen-based groups in India and Mexico to prominent food security activists like Michael Pollan and Vandana Shiva. At the center of analysis is how Monsanto has used the trope of “sustainability” to craft a proactive profile that is responsive to the challenges that the planet is facing. Foregrounding the issue of environmental agency, the chapter provides an assessment of what kinds of environmental discourses the company privileges through its media operations, and how these have been produced as a means to combat those who have challenged Monsanto’s vision of food production and “responsible” environmental stewardship.Less

Battle of the Blogosphere : Monsanto versus the World

Patrick D. Murphy

Published in print: 2017-04-01

This chapter examines how the multinational agricultural biotechnology corporation Monsanto has attempted to re-brand itself from a chemical company to a food company through the elaboration of a highly interlaced, multi-platform on-line media strategy. This image enhancement operation is a response to its many critics—from citizen-based groups in India and Mexico to prominent food security activists like Michael Pollan and Vandana Shiva. At the center of analysis is how Monsanto has used the trope of “sustainability” to craft a proactive profile that is responsive to the challenges that the planet is facing. Foregrounding the issue of environmental agency, the chapter provides an assessment of what kinds of environmental discourses the company privileges through its media operations, and how these have been produced as a means to combat those who have challenged Monsanto’s vision of food production and “responsible” environmental stewardship.